


What Lurks in the Night

by Saltail



Category: Original Work
Genre: Drama, F/F, Horror, Mystery, Original Character(s), Original Fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-04
Updated: 2019-06-04
Packaged: 2020-04-08 00:48:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19096351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saltail/pseuds/Saltail
Summary: When a happy family's relationship starts fraying at the seams, what can they possibly do to fix them? What can she do when constant nightmares plagues her mind, yet when she wakes up, not a single memory remains. Will she be able to save her marriage or lose to the endless terrors that haunt her dreams?





	What Lurks in the Night

My life is a generally normal one. I’ve got a beautiful wife, Jessie, and an adorable daughter, Ashlyn. I’ve got a nice house, a decent income to support myself and my family. We have our arguments like most married couples, but ours is a bit more odd than your typical conflict.

I’m afraid of sleeping. Well it’s more that I’m afraid of what I see while I’m sleeping. Ever since I was little, I have feared slipping into that state of unconsciousness. I knew I had nightmares, but no matter how much I tried, I could never remember them. My mother used to help me when I was startled awake, usually crying or shaking. She would ask me over and over again what had frightened me so badly, but I never answered. That was when I was 5 years old. Now, I’m currently 32 and still deal with them to this day. However, my wife has taken the role of calming me when I wake from my terrors instead. This has been what’s caused a strain in our current relationship, and one day my wife finally had enough. 

“Honey, I think you should see a therapist.”

I looked up from watching Ashlyn play with her little white bunny plush where my wife was standing in the hallway. Her hair was in a messy bun and I could tell from far away she had dark bags under her eyes. She leaned against the wall as though she needed it to stand, no longer having the energy to function regularly. When we first got married, she was so lively and cheerful, but night after sleepless night, she’s changed. She would always comfort me in my time of need during the nightmares. Now, she’s exhausted and desperate for something to change. Her eyes told me she was at her wits’ end, and I knew this was to come eventually. So I stood up and went over to her. I gently wrapped my fingers around hers and nodded, “Alright.”

 

Within the day, we’d already set up an appointment with a local mental health counselor, Dr. Wryler. Apparently Jessie had already done her own research on experts in the area so it didn’t take long for her to show me a variety of options. I had only chosen Dr. Wryler because Jessie was so persistent on him being the best fit in figuring out what could possibly be causing my night terrors. Before driving to the appointment, Jessie had called her mother to watch over Ashlyn while we were away. We couldn’t bring her with because she was only 6 years old, and we didn’t want to worry her with my troubles.

So there we stood outside the office the next day, and I was frozen to the spot. As soon as I’d stepped out of the car, it was as if my legs had turned to lead and I no longer had the strength to push forward. In all honesty, I didn’t want to be here. I was afraid to learn what kept me up screaming every night. What could possibly cause such a reaction in just a dream? But before I could even think of turning back, I felt a slight tug on my arm. I looked at my hand and followed it to the attached arm of Jessie. Her expression was calm and inviting, trying to coax me to move again. She could feel my hesitation and wanted me to make my decision. She knew she couldn’t force me to go, but I knew that this wouldn’t go away naturally. 

I steeled my nerves and continued walking towards the small, modern building. Inside, a small waiting room with several chairs and sofa sit waiting to be used. Across from the entrance, I notice the receptionist typing away at her computer, looking up to see who’d come in. We walked up to the desk and told her our information and waited. 

It only took a few minutes before we were called into Dr. Wryler’s office. Once in the small room, I noticed the calming energy it released. It felt more like someone had grabbed a living room and used it for an office, with a comfy-looking sofa in the middle and a few chairs strewn around. Dr. Wryler sat at his desk, which was across from the sofa. He looked up and gave a smile.

“Hello! You must be Danielle,” He stood up and walked around to give his introduction.

“Oh you can just call me Dani,” I corrected him. 

“I can do that, Dani. So, I’m Dr. Wryler, and I’ll be here to help you in anyway I can,” He said as he shook my hand. 

 

 

“I see,” Dr. Wryler shook his head, typing on his computer as we explained our problems. I’d laid down on the couch while Jessie sat on a chair nearby. We’d been talking for roughly forty minutes before he moved his laptop and changed into a more serious position.  

“While I can’t diagnose you myself, I have a few ideas about what could possibly be causing these nightmares.”

I felt a knot of dread form in the pit of my stomach. I knew he couldn’t accurately diagnose me after having only known me for less than an hour, but that didn’t stop my nerves. I sat up and folded my hands in my lap. My right leg bounced wildly up and down, listened to each word carefully. 

“I would like to try a thing called Recovered Memory Therapy, which we could use to try and dig up any buried memories that may be causing your distress,” He calmly explained, picking his laptop up and twisting it so we could see the screen. The monitor showed us an extensive explanation of Recovered Memory Therapy and how it can be used to help with PTSD, repressed memories, and other such traumas. 

“Again, I want to reiterate that I am not saying that you have any of those problems, but from what I’ve observed, the only way to access those nightmares would be through this method,” He reached around to his desk and searched for a minute before grabbing a pamphlet and handing it to us, “Here’s some general information about the treatment and I can answer any questions or concerns you might have over it.”

I turned over the pamphlet and scanned it before handing it to Jessie, and we both looked at one another. My face must have shown my skeptical thoughts because she put it away into her purse before standing up, “I think we’ll need to discuss this over before we decided on whether we’d like to try the treatment.”

He nodded, “I understand it’s a lot to take in, so I won’t rush your decision. However, if Dani’s reactions to these dreams are as bad as you’ve been describing them, postponing will only make things worse.” 

We left the office and headed home. The drive home was quiet, as I was processing all that the doctor had told us. I had a generally normal childhood. My parents weren’t rich by any means, but they would buy us toys or candy every so often. I couldn’t imagine how that was possibly connected to my nightmares, let alone any repressed memories I had. 

“Do you think he was right?”

I looked over at Jessie and her face showed conflicting emotions, her eyes concentrated on the road, but I could tell she was thinking hard on what she wanted to say. Finally, she spoke, “On one hand, I agree with the doctor about you potentially having some sort of previous trauma, because your dreams seem so… violent. But on the other hand, I also believe that it could be more than just that.”

“Like what?” I questioned.

“...I don’t know. Just… something isn’t adding up,” She stopped talking and I didn’t push her further. She couldn’t possibly have the answers for such a mystery. I sighed and looked at the pamphlet Dr. Wryler had given us. The front page showed a happy couple on the front, being talked to by a counsellor. I wanted that to be us. Happy. That was when I knew what my answer had to be. 

“I’ll do it.”

 

 

The time came that we finally returned to Dr. Wryler’s office, minds set on going through to the end. We entered and sat in our previous spots, while Dr. Wryler finished some last minute paperwork for the session. I sat nervously, but had been preparing myself ever since I’d agreed to do this. Jessie moved next to me for a moment and calmed me while we waited. Finally, he stood up from his chair and moved towards the sofa we were sitting on. Jessie moved back to her original chair only a few feet away. 

“Now Dani, I’m going to gently guide you through the recovered memory therapy process. If you ever feel the need to stop, you can tell me. It’s just like hypnotism, in that I will not force you to do anything you don’t want to do,” He explained in a soft voice, “Are you ready?”

I nodded my head. 

“Alright,” He grabbed his clipboard from his desk and started the process, “I want you to lie down and close your eyes. Feel your muscles relax as the stress of your everyday life washes away.”

I do as he says and find myself slowly getting tired, listening to his instructions. 

“Concentrate on your breathing. Take a few deep breaths. Hold it,” He pauses, “And let it out. Now, I’m going to countdown from ten, and when I reach one, you’ll enter a trance-like state. There, we will explore your subconscious for answers.”

I felt my body sink into the sofa, focusing on my breathing, falling deeper and deeper into the inner recesses of my mind. His voice spoke up once again.

“Ten… nine… eight… seven… six… five… four… three… two… one.”

I felt my body float as though it were in space, everything felt light as I existed in a plane where no other being existed. Outside, I heard Dr. Wryler speaking.

“Now, I want you to imagine it’s nighttime, and you’ve fallen asleep,” His voice was soft, “You’ve just started dreaming.” 

Suddenly, the room changed. I was no longer in the nice calming environment of Dr. Wryler’s office or my own plane of existence, but was instead in a dark room. I’m sitting down, legs sprawled out before me. No windows allowed light in the room, but a few candles along the wall dimly lit the room. I look around the room and can barely make out a door on the other end of the room. I stand up, and inch my way towards the door, looking all around me for any signs of danger. The door in front of me towers several feet higher than me, and I realize I can just barely reach the handle. I stand on my tippy toes and am able to grab the knob and twist it. 

The door opens with a loud creak as it reveals a dark hallway, once again lit with candles along the walls. I feel a force compel me to move forward, so I steel myself and edge along the wall, careful not to trip on any unseen objects. I continue slowly walking down the corridor when I notice a mist start forming around me. I stop, too frightened to possibly move, when I notice a white object in the midst of the sudden fog. I dare to put another foot forward when I feel a hand on my shoulder. I freeze. My eyes look straight ahead, hands quivering as fear racks my body. I notice that my lips are dry and I gulp, trying to get rid of the lump in my throat. The hand on my shoulder felt large and rough, belonging to someone who was clearly larger than I was. All my senses say run immediately, but I can’t move my legs no matter how much I try. Slowly, through my peripheral vision, I see a giant cloaked figure move beside me. I dared not look in fear of whatever this thing was, but my curiosity got the best of me. 

However, the answer puzzled me than sated any curiosity I possessed. Instead of a face, all I saw was a black void. As I stared, it stared back. Looking into its “face” I quickly realized whatever this thing was, I needed to get away from it. Now. 

I twisted my body out of it’s grasp and took a few steps before it immediately grabbed my arm. I flailed, throwing punches as hard as I could towards the creature holding my arm captive. I managed to get one really good punch in when suddenly, a voice called to me. 

“Dani! Dani, snap out of it!”

The corridor around me warped and twisted until I was back in Dr. Wryler’s office. I was standing and someone had their arms wrapped mine. I turned my head and saw Jessie holding onto my right arm for dear life. Her eyes were closed, but she was shaking enough that I couldn’t stand completely still. I looked over to where Dr. Wryler was and saw he was sitting on the floor, cheek burning a bright red. I quickly pieced together what happened and felt my stomach drop.

“Oh my god. Oh my god, I’m so sor-” Dr. Wryler held up his hand to signal me to be quiet. I felt tears well up as I realized just how bad these nightmares were. Not just for myself, but for those around me. After a minute, Dr. Wryler stood up and gave us both a serious expression, “Dani, do you remember what you were so afraid of?” 

His question caught me off-guard. I expected him to yell and threaten to call the police, but instead his composure showed that wasn’t the case. 

“...I do,” I stated. 

He grabbed his fallen over chair, sitting down with his clipboard in hand and looked me in the eyes, “Tell me everything.”

 

 

I explained my vivid dream to Dr. Wryler as best I could. From the room to the hallway to the mysterious figure and… punching it. 

“Did anything seem familiar?” 

I’d been thinking over and over about that same question, and the honest answer was no. I didn’t have the slightest recognition of the places or the events that occured in the dream. I had been racking my brain endlessly for some answer or spark of remembrance, but no such memory surfaced.

“No, nothing.”

He nodded and wrote down whatever he deemed worthy of being noted before he looked back up at Jessie, “I didn’t ask this before, but have Dani’s nightly outbursts always been this violent?” 

She quickly shook her head, “Never! She’s generally been scared when waking up, but she’s never lashed out like she did earlier.”

“I see,” Once again he scribbled on his notes, “If that’s the case, I can safely assume that this session is what brought about those violent tendencies.”

Jessie and I both agreed, seeing as I’d never been physically aggressive in the past. 

“This doesn’t seem like a typical case either, so I’d like you both to keep a very close on on this. If such a surge of anger is to occur again, I’d like you to come back immediately, or even call the police if you believe your life is in danger,” He said, pointing the later half of his statement at Jessie, “Especially if you have any children, I’d recommend keeping them away from Dani at night so that nothing unfortunate should happen to them.”

“...I understand,” Jessie said, her voice low. 

The walk out of the office was quiet, as my mind churned thinking about the dream. Nothing in it seemed familiar, but it had to be the dream that had been torturing me since childhood. Why was I having such a dream? Did I really have repressed memories, or was I just in a lot worse mental state than I’d realized? I didn’t know, but I had to find out, for myself and my family. 

 

 

When Jessie and I arrived home, we were greeted by Ashlyn, giggling and excited. 

“Welcome home! Look! Me and Grandma made cookie!” 

Ashyln was covered in flour and various colors of frosting. The cute yellow apron she wore over her clothes helped very little as it seemed the mess was everywhere but there. She practically dragged us into the kitchen and showed us that her and Jessie’s mother had made sugar cookies while we were away. Half of them were decorated nicely with little designs from the frosting and sprinkles. The other half had frosting haphazardly globbed onto the surface with a bunch of sprinkles dumped onto them. I couldn’t help but smile at their creations. I leaned down and picked up Ashlyn, earning a surprised giggle from her. 

“These look amazing! Can I have one?” I said as I hugged her.

“No! They are only for me!” She lifted her nose in the air and I laughed. 

“I don’t think so. How about you go clean up?” I said.

Ashlyn pouted, but agreed to go wash up. I walked into the living room and sat on the couch, just the way I had been only a few days earlier. I didn’t stay there for long as I stood up and started searching the house. I knew I had some old photo albums and VHS tapes of my childhood somewhere, and I thought that was one of the best places to start my journey as to why I was having such nightmares. 

Quickly enough, I found them in a closet near Jessie and I’s bedroom. It wasn’t big, just a little bigger than your average shoebox, but it’s contents were priceless. I started rummaging through the box, taking careful looks at every photo, newspaper clipping, and artifact. Nothing stood out at all. I turned to the few VHS tapes my mother had made and realized that we hadn’t had a VHS player in the past 15 years, so I figured I’d wait on those. Instead, I decided to ask the woman herself. It was only four in the afternoon, so I assumed she was already off work. So I took out my phone and dialed her number. The first few rings, nothing. Then on the final ring… 

“Hello?” 

Her voice came through, calming me almost immediately. 

“Hey, Mom,” I replied. 

“Dani! How are you? You haven’t called me in forever,” Her voice perked up when she realized it was me.

“I’m good,” I said as my automatic response, but paused for a moment. “Well actually, I’m calling because I’m having a bit of a problem.”

“Oh? What’s wrong?” She listened intently, ready to help in any way she could. 

“Do you remember anything… weird happening in my childhood?”

She was quiet for awhile before she answered, “Other than your daily nightmares, nothing comes to mind.”

“Do you have any idea what could have been causing those nightmares?” I pushed her for any clues that she might have.

Another pause, this one a little longer than the first, until she said, “Well, there was one thing that was kind of odd at the time, but I’d completely forgotten about it until now.”

My heart jumped in my chest. I didn’t want to get my hopes up, but I wanted to find anything that could possibly give some insight on my mysterious condition. 

“You used to have this small stuffed rabbit that you loved with all your heart. You never separated from the thing. Your father and I didn’t pay any attention to it since it brought you so much happiness, even with those nightmares you were having. The only thing is that, neither of us got it for you. When we asked who’d given it to you, you never gave us an answer, instead just opting to ignore us and continue playing.”

As my mind processed what she’d told me, it made less and less sense. I don’t remember ever having a rabbit toy, and if I loved it so much, why wasn’t it in any pictures? Where had it gone after it disappeared from my life? As I searched my brain for an answer, it suddenly hit me. I had seen a white rabbit plush before, and I knew exactly who had it. 

“Thank you so much Mom, you’ve helped a lot,” I quickly told her as I started walking towards the living room, “I gotta go. Love you.”

“Oh, uh love you too sweetie,” Her voice gave the impression that she was sad to already be ending the call, but I had more important issues to attend to. 

I hung up and scoured the living room, searching high and low for it. I knew it was in this house, I just had to find it. When no results came up, I switched my focus to a pink room down the hall from my own bedroom. The window was open and smothered the room in an even brighter pink. Toys scattered around the floor, but my eyes fell on a single one sat up in the middle of the room. Seeming like it was waiting for me, it’s beady red eyes pierced into mine. I reached down and snatched it from its resting spot. I stomped out of the room and out into the kitchen, lifting my arm to throw the toy into garbage when a sudden voice called out to me.

“Dani? What are you doing?” 

I turned around, arm still raised and met eyes with Jessie. Her expression seemed confused and concerned, and her eyes followed my arm until they landed on the bunny clenched in my hand. She walked up to me cautiously and grabbed the rabbit from my hand. My face grew red at my quick and irrational actions. What could a stupid little stuffed animal do that could possibly threaten me? I hung my head in shame and Jessie hugged my shoulder.

“You’ve had a rough day, why don’t you just relax and we’ll deal with it later.

I took her advice and sulked my way to our bedroom, suddenly drained and just wanting to sleep. 

 

 

Darkness surrounded me. In the back of my mind, I knew this place. A pitch black room, only illuminated through a few stray candles. A single door leading to an even darker hallway. As I trudged down the hallway, a familiar mist rolled into sight. At the edge of the mist, a small white toy sat upright, piercing its eyes into my soul. I tried to run to it, but a large hand once again found my shoulder, holding me hostage. I thrashed and kicked, trying to get to the plush, but no matter how hard I tried, its grip didn’t loosen. The plush slipped out of view from the increasing mist in the hallway, and that’s when I noticed a glint in the corner of my eye. I managed to just see an afterimage of the knife as it plunged into my chest.

 

 

I bolted straight up, arms swinging in full arches. I kept swinging until I heard a calm voice ring out. 

“Dani, it’s okay.”

I looked around and realized I was back in my bed. I looked over at a clock on our nightstand that read 5:33 a.m. My hands searched my abdomen looking for any sign of a wound. My sudden jolt up woke up my wife and she quickly started her nightly routine of calming me down. 

“Shh shh, it’s okay,” Jessie rubbed my back as I found my grounding of reality, “Whatever it was, wasn’t real.”

“Jessie, I remember,” Was all I said.

“Huh? You remember?” She seemed puzzled.

“The dream, I remember it,” I corrected, “I don’t know why, but I remember now.”

“Is it because of the therapy?” She asked but then quickly changed the subject, “Was it the same dream?”

“Yeah, but this one went further than the last one, probably because you stopped me in the middle of the other one. This one started the same, but this time when I entered the hallway, I saw Ashyln’s little rabbit stuffed animal. When I saw it, I rushed to grab it, but that same hand grabbed me and stopped me,” I stopped for a moment, calming myself as best I could, “And the figure stabbed me.”

“What?” Jessie’s voice was filled with shock.

“It felt so real, like it had actually gone through my stomach,” I stared down at my stomach, still looking for a scar or even a scratch. 

I stood up and started to leave the room, when Jessie asked, “Where are you going?”

Looking back at her, I simply said, “I just need to get some fresh air.”

 

 

I was still dressed in my clothes from yesterday, so I got in my car and drove for a while. We lived in the suburbs, so there wasn’t a lot of movement this early in the morning. I watched the houses go by I drove, no real destination in mind. The trees slowly thinned into buildings that towered over everything. More and more cars started filling the roads as people began their day. Eventually, I ended up in front of a familiar blue supermarket. I went inside, unsure what I was looking for. As I walked around, I noticed the employee’s lifeless stares, their silent pleas for the day to be over already. After walking around for a few minutes, something caught my eye. I took a few steps back and my eyes fell onto a little baseball kit, with ball, bat, and mit. I picked it up, but my eyes only focused on the bat. It was just a dream, but having some sort of protection if a burglar came into the house isn’t a bad idea, right?

When I returned home, Jessie wasn’t there. She’d likely gone to work, and taken Ashlyn to school for the day. I breathed a sigh of relief so I didn’t have to explain why I was trying to sneak a baseball bat into the house. I knew that Jessie wouldn’t want the bat in the house, but I felt better having it, just in case. I placed it beneath our bed on my side, just hidden by the skirt of the frame. After I had it securely placed, I went over to Ashlyn’s room and found that damned rabbit. 

I knew it was just a stuffed animal and I should have just dropped it when Jessie talked me out of it last time, but I couldn’t rest easily with it in the house. My anxiety was irrational and extremely agitated by the plush. If Ashlyn was that distraught over losing it, I would just buy her a new plush, one that wasn’t a rabbit this time. She probably wouldn’t mind.

 

 

When Jessie and Ashlyn returned home, it was already 5 in the afternoon, so I’d started making dinner for when they came back. I made a simple meal, just some build-your-own tacos with tomato, lettice, sour cream, and so forth. It wasn’t much, but I wanted a nice sit-down dinner with my family. No worries about nightmares, therapists, or any other stressing matters. Just some damn good tacos. 

After finishing the meal, I cleaned up everything and helped give Ashlyn a bath before sending her off to watch cartoons before bed. Jessie came up to me as I was watching the 17th rerun of Friends that day and sat down beside me. She sat silently, watching along with me before saying anything. 

“Are you feeling better?” She asked.

“Yes, I just needed some time,” I said, and while it technically wasn’t a lie, it wasn’t the truth either, “Did you like dinner?”

“Yeah, it was good. Thank you,” Jessie gave me a quick kiss before going back to watching tv. 

I couldn’t help but feel guilty for hiding stuff from her, but I knew that she’d be against it. She never thought violence was the answer, that’s why she was the perfect fit for me. Why I owed her everything. While my brain pumped itself full of hatred and guilt, Jessie stood up and left. I got up to and got ready for bed.

 

 

I layed in bed for hours, anxiety building from my stashed away weapon and the thought that once I fell asleep I’d be greeted with that nightmare all over again. I looked over at the clock on our nightstand. 2:10 a.m. I let out a low sigh as I tried to calm my brain to let me get just a few hours of sleep. My eyes closed and I let my breathing become steady, slowly drifting into sleep.

My eyes bolt open. I look around and see that I’m still in my room, but I get up. I don’t know what compels me to, but I reach under my bed and grab the hidden bat. I shuffle my way towards the hallway, hand resting on the doorknob. It creaks open, revealing a dark hallway. I look back at Jessie, sleeping peacefully.  I inch my way forward, scanning the walls around me when I notice it. 

A small white bunny, sprawled out in the middle of the hallway. My heart stops beating for just a moment. Why was it back? I’d thrown it out, right? I look around the area. No sign of any crazy cloaked figure, so I approach it carefully. I snatch it up and just as I pick it up I hear a creak from behind me.

I blacked out for only a second, but it was one second long enough to change my entire life. In that moment, I swung blindly, afraid of my mysterious attacker only to hit Ashlyn, who’d woken up from the commotion I’d made getting up. She’d wandered into the hallway, oblivious to my panic-driven state. When I finally came to and saw what I’d done, I did the only thing anyone would have done. I screamed. I screamed a scream louder than any dream could ever achieve. 

 

 

As it turned out, Jessie had found the plush in the garbage after I’d thrown it away. Ashlyn had been looking for it and Jessie happened to find it and gave it to Ashlyn. She accidentally left it out over the night and well, you know the rest. It should be no surprise that I was arrested that morning, pretty quickly they’d hauled me off with so much evidence. 

My nightmares haven’t gone away either. I still wake up every night to tears and dread, but now I’m alone. I remember the dreams. It’s the same dream, but when I turn around, it isn’t a person with no face. Instead, I see myself, baseball bat in hand already bloodied with own daughter’s blood. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed my little original story. I made it originally for a creative writing class and decided it would be a fun idea to post it onto my Ao3 as well. Constructive criticism is encouraged and welcomed!


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